The embodiments described herein relate in general to the field of encryption. More specifically, the embodiments described herein relate to cryptographic data structures to protect public keys.
Various methods exist in support of electronic data security. Cryptography is the transformation of intelligible information into an apparently unintelligible form in order to conceal the information from unauthorized parties. Cryptography is used for various purposes, such as to protect information transmitted through communications networks or stored on data storage units. Cryptographic procedures can be used not only to protect the privacy of data but also the integrity of data. The cryptographic transformation of data is ordinarily defined by a selected algorithm, or procedure, under the control of a key. Since the algorithm is normally public knowledge, protection of the transformed, or enciphered, data depends on the secrecy of the key. Thus, the key must be kept secret to prevent an opponent from using the known algorithm and key to recover the protected data. The protection of the data, therefore, hinges on the protection of secret keys.